Police move to reassure parents: school children threat ‘not significant’

AFTER allegedly hearing a threat made against Orange school children by a 43-year-old man on Tuesday, a community centre staff member relayed the threat to an Orange school, which left police to deal with the panic which ensued.

At least one Orange school went in to lockdown on Thursday, which caused rumours about the threat to spread over the internet.

Canobolas Local Area Command Superintendent David Driver said the alleged threat “was not significant” and the man was known to police. They believed he did not have the means to carry out the threat.

That didn’t stop panic breaking out on social media on Thursday after parents heard parts of the story and started posting on social media sites incorrect details.

As a result police contacted the Department of Education and Communities which, in turn, contacted schools to inform them of the incident and that police would conduct extra patrols as a precaution.